New Style
by scorpclaw
Summary: Contains SonicXEspio yaoi. My very first fan fiction EVER. It seems that Sonic has a crush on an unexpected character, though he has a little bit of trouble expressing it. Perhaps he'll find it in his heart to tell people about his feelings
1. Chapter 1

New Style

SonEspio

Chapter 1

Sonic and Knuckles were walking down the city roads so that they can back home with Tails. They were called on by Team Chaotix to do a very special mission to get rid of Eggman forever. Knuckles thought the whole idea was a complete phony, but Sonic was still very eager to go anyways. Sadly, it turned out to be a prank started by Charmy. Right when they walked in, Charmy and Vector splashed them with a bunch of water and now Sonic and Knuckles walk home completely soaked.

"I told you it was a bad idea," Knuckles said.

"Yes, but we don't do a whole lot with the Chaotix, so I thought it would be something new for a change," Sonic replied.

"Oh, it was something new alright." Knuckles shivered.

"I wonder why Espio wasn't there."

"Why do you care? Maybe it's because he's an emo freak and fun makes him burn on the inside."

Sonic went in front of Knuckles and turned towards, stopping him in his tracks.

"One, you are the same way, Knuckles. Jokes aren't quite your friend either. Two, don't bash on Espio, he's a really cool guy, maybe even cooler than you."

Knuckles was pretty shocked by Sonic's reaction. 'He doesn't normally talk like that, even if he is REALLY mad,' Knuckles thought. Sonic got out of the way and they continued walking.

"I don't see why you're getting so defensive on Espio. It's not like you know him that well or anything. You said it yourself that we don't a lot with Team Chaotix."

"I don't know. Espio just seems special. Something about him just makes me want to hug him and see a bright smile from him."

"You're saying that as if you like the guy."

"Well…"

This time, Knuckles was the one who stopped Sonic in his tracks. He figured that Sonic needed to do a bit of explaining.

"Well what, Sonic. Do you like Espio or something?"

Sonic cringed. "Is that weird?"

"Yes. Wait, no. I don't know. We've all seem to be attracted to, you know… women. Even then humans on this planet do the same thing. You're the first person I'm sure I've met that has actually been attracted to another man."

Sonic pushed Knuckles aside. Knuckles walked close behind him and they continued to walk home.

"I don't know. I have the same form of thinking as you do. But, I just have reoccurring memories from when Team Chaotix visited us on the Blue Typhoon last year. The memories were never of Vector or Charmy, but they were about Espio. Especially when he smiled. Whenever he did that, he became really special to me."

"Does he have the same feelings for you?"

"I don't know. That was pretty much the last time I really was around him. Quite frankly, I don't think I've ever said a word directly to him. But I doubt it. It's highly unlikely that someone like Espio would have a love interest."

"Then let's just drop it and go home. I need to get dried off."

After a few more blocks Sonic and Knuckles make it home, greeted by Tails. The echidna slouched onto the couch while Sonic walked up into his room and fell into his bed. He needed some time to think.

- Team Chaotix Home -

Espio came out from his room and encountered Vector and Charmy, who were giggling to themselves. He noticed that the doorway was fairly wet and that Vector and Charmy were carrying large buckets.

"Hold it," Espio exclaimed.

Vector and Charmy tentatively turned around to face Espio.

"What happened here?"

Charmy threw his bucket onto his bed and said, "Vector forced me to call Sonic and his friends so that we can we throw water at them. I tried to stop him, but he was just too intimidating."

"I did not!"

"Enough! I want the two of you to go to their house and apologize. They have been nothing but helpful to us."

Vector glared. "Come on, Espio. It was just a funny little prank, I'm sure they're laughing about it right now."

"Apologize."

"No."

"Then I'll do it myself. I can't believe I have to deal with you two's immaturity."

Charmy and Vector looked at Espio and turned around. They continued to giggle as they put away their buckets, ready for another prank to arise. Espio sighed and walked out of the home, turning invisible. He wasn't in the mood to be stopped by anyone.

He then went on a similar route that Knuckles and Sonic took moments ago. Espio had a decent idea where Sonic's home was because it was in an area that he has passed by a couple of times in spy missions. In about ten minutes, he was standing in front of the 'Sonic Heroes' door. He became visible again and knocked on their door a couple of times. Knuckles was the one to answer the door. He was completely shocked by the appearance of Espio, especially after his conversation with Sonic.

"Espio, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you and Sonic. Is he here by any chance?"

Knuckles smirked. "Oh he's here all right. I'm sure he would love to know that you were here."

After giggling to himself he went to get Sonic. Espio was completely confused by Knuckles' remark. He continued to wait as Sonic and Knuckles came back to the door. At the top of the stairs, Sonic comes out of his room and is able to see Espio. Knuckles laughed as Sonic's face turned slightly pink. A totally unexpected visit. They both went downstairs to greet Espio at the door.

"I heard you guys came over to the Team Chaotix home early today and that Charmy and Vector pranked you. I just wanted to come over and say sorry on their behalf. You guys have only been nice to us and have helped us a lot, so you deserve our respect."

Knuckles broke his silent laughter and said, "That was very nice of you, Espio. I'm sure Sonic thinks that your apology was just wonderful." Knuckles playfully hit Sonic on the back a couple of times. Sonic tried to keep up a fake smile.

"Yes, Espio. I really appreciated your visit to us. You know… we should hang out more… I guess." Sonic was suffering on the inside.

"Indeed, we should," Espio replied. "Vector has asked us to tag along as he has a picnic with Vanilla tomorrow. I'm sure it would be okay if you two and Tails came along."

"YES!" Sonic exclaimed fairly loudly. "I mean, yes, that sounds like a fun plan."

"We're going to the meadow not to far from our home. Just go to the back of our home and keep going and you'll find it."

"Sounds good. I'll be there in a flash tomorrow." Sonic said with growing confidence.

Espio nodded and walked away from their home. Knuckles closed the door and stared at Sonic with an un-dying smile.

"You're going to make this miserable for me, aren't you," Sonic said with a slight glare towards Knuckles.

"You bet, buddy. That's what friends are for."

Knuckles continued to laugh as he went back to the couch. Sonic went back to his bed and daydreamed. Hopefully tomorrow would go well.


	2. Chapter 2

New Style

SonEspio

Chapter 2

Sonic tried his best to sleep that night, but he couldn't. All he could think of was Espio. He thought it was kind of weird because as Knuckles said, they hardly even know each other. Espio knows that Sonic is a hero and Sonic knows that Espio is a detective. That's it. 'There's just something about him that makes him special,' Sonic thought. Tomorrow, Sonic was going to make a point of getting to know Espio, but now he was afraid that's he going to be too tired to even talk tomorrow. With that thought, he took some long heavy deep breaths to help him sleep better. Luckily, that did the trick. He snoozed and dreamed all through the night.

Sonic woke up at 8:00 that morning. Espio told them that Team Chaotix is going to the meadow at around 11:30. Sonic got up from his bed and walked over to the kitchen where he was greeted by Tails and Knuckles. Tails was cooking pancakes and eggs and Knuckles was half-asleep in his chair waiting to eat.

"Good morning Sonic. I bought some food at the store yesterday and thought I would make some breakfast." Tails smiled as he started putting pancakes onto 3 different plates. He then put a plate in front of Knuckles and put two more plates next to each other on the table. "Please sit down Sonic. Help yourself."

Sonic sat down and began pouring syrup onto his pancakes and then passed the syrup to Knuckles. The three of then began chowing down.

"So Sonic, you sleep well," asked Tails.

"Yeah I slept really well last night, thank you for asking."

Knuckles smirked, "I bet he was dreaming of his boyfriend all night long."

Sonic glared at him. "Sonic, what is Knuckles talking about?"

"I don't know, Tails. I'm sure he's just making fun of me. Besides, my dreams aren't nearly as interesting than what Knuckles did at Club Rouge last month."

Knuckles glared at Sonic. Sonic laughed at the remark. Revenge is bittersweet. "Knuckles, is there something you want to talk about?"

"No Tails, let's just drop it," Knuckles said between shut teeth.

They continued to eat their pancakes in silence. Clearly there was already tension in the air. Tails finished first and got up to clean off his plate into the sink. He then walked back and said, "I'm going to be at my lab today so I might be a little late to the picnic." Knuckles and Sonic nodded and Tails left the house.

"I think I'll go for a run," Sonic said.

"Fine."

For the next hour and a half, Sonic just ran around in the city, clearing up his mind. After that, he just settled at a mountaintop. This was one of his favorite places to sit and chill out. Mainly because it was peaceful and he can see the moon and stars very clearly from up there. But it was broad daylight now, and it wasn't quite so special. He needed to collect his thoughts, though, and that was the spot he was able to do that.

Sonic then realized that he has been gone for a couple of hours and knew that he would have to head for home soon so that he can be at the picnic on time. He stood up and rushed home. When he got home, he looked up at the clock to see that it was 11:06. He would have to leave in a couple of minutes. Sonic walked into the living room and noticed that Knuckles was dead asleep on the couch. 'He really likes that couch…' Sonic thought. Sonic nudged Knuckles with his arm.

"Knuckles, you have to wake up. We have to leave for the picnic in a minute."

Knuckles slowly opened his eyes. "Mmmmm… fine."

Knuckles yawned and scratched his back as he got up from the couch.

"You know, Knuckles, that is an extremely uncomfortable couch. How you sleep on it is a wonder."

"Hey man, don't knock it until you try it."

They both smirked. Sonic then looked up at the clock and saw that it was now 11:12.

"We should get going."

"Mmk."

Sonic and Knuckles walked out of the door and headed over to the meadow that Espio mentioned. Sonic knew where it was because he past by it a couple of times on his run.

"So what do you plan on doing at the picnic," Knuckles asked.

"I'm assuming you want an answer that involves Espio, don't you?"

"Yes, but in all seriousness, I am curious what you plan on doing at the picnic now that you like him."

"I'm just going to get to know him, that's all."

"Oh, that's smart, I guess."

"Still not wrapping your head around the whole guy-to-guy relationship thing, are you?"

"Not in the slightest."

They then walked to the meadow in silence. Around 15 minutes later they made it to the meadow to find a blanket stretched out with Vector and Vanilla on it. Cream was playing with Tails and Charmy in the middle of a flowerbed. Tails must've gotten here earlier. Espio was leaning against a tree, staying a decent distance away from the rest of the group. Knuckles decided that he didn't want to play with Cream and Charmy, so he decided to sit down and chat with Vector and Vanilla. Sonic just saw Espio all by himself, but he was too shy to go over to talk to him so he decided to lean against a tree and watch everyone else play.

A short amount of time went by and Espio decided to open his eyes and look around at what's going on. His eyes then went towards Sonic and he was curious as to why Sonic was by himself. He went over to the tree that Sonic was leaning on. Sonic was made fairly uncomfortable but didn't want Espio to see.

"You're sitting all by yourself. Don't you want to play with Cream, Tails, and Charmy?"

"No. Charmy isn't exactly the play type for me. I must've been pranked by that kid more times that I can count."

Espio smiled. "Yes, but you don't have to live with him, do you?"

Sonic smirked at the response and saw that Espio was smiling. He liked it when he smiled. Espio sat against the tree right next to Sonic.

"It's surprising, actually. You always seem to be the always energetic, always running type of guy."

"I still am. I don't have the name, Blue Blur, for nothing."

"Yes, but you have been particularly uncomfortable around me. Did I do something wrong to you?"

"What do you mean uncomfortable?"

"When I came to apologize, I saw your face turn pink and you talked really weirdly to me."

Well that's one thing Sonic found out about Espio, he's honest.

"Don't worry about it, Espio. It's nothing special."

"Alright. I just wanted to make sure you weren't mad at me." Espio paused. "I just didn't want you to have a bad impression of me, because I kind of admire you. You're like an idol to me."

Sonic hesitated before replying. 'He thinks of me as an idol?' "Why would you think of me as an idol?"

"You're always so nice and so energetic, two things I am not. It's actually kind of embarrassing that I am telling you this."

Sonic was considering actually telling Espio that he liked him, but he was unsure. His confidence rose, though, at the idea that Espio admired him.

"Espio, there is something I need to tell you. It doesn't have to mean anything, either."

"What is it, Sonic?"

"This is going to sound kind of weird, but I'm just going to say it. I kind of… like you."

"Well I like you too, Sonic. That's not so weird."

"No I mean, I like-like you, Espio. Kind of how a guy likes a girl."

This caught Espio's attention.

"I see." Espio paused and collected his thoughts on what Sonic just said to him. "I'm going to have to think on this, Sonic. For now, goodbye."

Without a word, Espio got up and just started walking in the direction of his home. Sonic then felt like he screwed up. He then got up and ran as fast as he could towards home without saying goodbye to any of them. He could've passed by Espio on the way home, but he didn't care. He needed time to think. They both did.


	3. Chapter 3

New Style

SonEspio

Chapter 3

At around 5:30 later that same afternoon, Charmy and Vector came into the door of their home after they were finished with the picnic. Charmy went into his room and slouched onto his bed and took out a Nintendo DS and played some childish game. Vector walked into Espio's room and saw that he was deep in meditation.

"Come to reality, Espio. We were worried about why you suddenly weren't at the picnic earlier today. You just took off."

Espio peeked an eye open and then continued to sit properly on his bed. "I've never seen you worried before, especially for me. I must say I'm touched." Vector ignored the clear sign of sarcasm in Espio's voice.

"You seemed perfect okay with going to the picnic, why are you so mad now?"

"It's nothing. You do not need to get involved in my life."

Espio was getting pretty angry. He normally is on the pessimistic side, but he never truly got extremely angry. Vector sat next to Espio on his bed. "Espio, if you are angry, you can tell me anything. You know me I'm the perfect listener. And you can cause a lot of pain when you're mad, so let's try to avoid that."

Espio sighed. "You wouldn't understand, but someone told me that they liked me."

Vector grinned. "What do you mean I wouldn't understand? Oh, is it Cream? She's just a sweet little girl, but you have to tell her that you're just too old for her."

"It wasn't Cream. I'm telling you, you wouldn't understand."

"Well, the only person I saw you even briefly talk to was Sonic at the picnic." Vector then tried to connect some dots in his brain when, after a long delay, he came to a realization. "Wait! Was it Sonic?"

Espio cringed. "I told you that you wouldn't understand."

"I must say that it is a little weird. I guess all I really want to ask if what did you say?"

"I told him that I needed to collect my thoughts and then I left."

"That Sonic guy is really quite the character. At one point, didn't you say that you admired him or something."

"Yes, but not in that way. Relationships are so… complicated. It is something I am so unfamiliar with. How Sonic chose me over anyone else keeps me thinking."

"Well Espio, after being with Vanilla for some time, I have learned that it's all about just knowing if you want to be with a certain someone for the rest of your life."

"Yes, but at least you know Vanilla. Sonic is such a mystery to me. He runs fast and he save lives. I just want to know a little more about him."

"Then I think you like him," Charmy said as he buzzed into the room.

"How long have you been in here," they both asked.

"Long enough." Charmy giggled. "Espio likes a boy, how embarrassing."

Espio cringed as his cheeks turned a very light pink.

"Don't listen to that brat, Espio. He clearly doesn't know a thing about love. But me, I am the king of romance. Remember when we brought Tails and Cosmo together? They became such a cute couple."

"One, she died and two, we hardly even did anything, they pretty much made the romance themselves. I'm just going to define this situation as hopeless and hopefully Sonic just was going through some phase."

"No Espio," Vector started, "I'm not gonna let love slip away from you so easily, not when this type of situation arises. By this time next week, you and Sonic will have googly-eyes for each other for sure."

"Really?"

"Of course. You just need to get to know that little blue hedgehog better."

"Alright, what should I do then?"

"Oh, you don't have to do anything. Charmy and I will make the perfect plan for you and Sonic to get to know each other. Right Charmy?

"Of course. This should be fun!"

Espio smiled as he looked at the two of them. "You two are really great friends, you are deeply in my gratitude."

Charmy giggled as Espio began to bow down to Espio. Vector lifted an imaginary eye brow, "If you're going to be loved by Sonic, you're going to have to drop the whole formal act."

"I think Sonic likes me how I am."

Vector smirked, "Alright, whatever you say Espio."

Vector and Charmy receded into Vector's room and formulated a plan perfect for Espio.

~ Sonic Heroes Home ~

In the morning, Sonic sat up in his bed and stretched his arms. He went downstairs to see that Knuckles was at the couch watching T.V. while Tails was concentrating hard to fix the coffee brewer in the kitchen. As Sonic walked in, Tails looked up and then stopped what he was doing.

"Sonic, are you alright? We didn't see you at the party, and we thought that something might have happened to you and Espio."

Sonic didn't want to be reminded, especially since he's trying to feel better about the whole situation. "It's nothing, buddy. Go back to your fixing." Tails did as he was told. Knuckles looked back towards Sonic.

"Sonic, can I speak to you in private in my bedroom."

"Sure Knuckles."

Sonic and Knuckles went over to his bedroom and Knuckles sat down on his bed. He then asked Sonic to do the same.

"I know the reason that you left is because of Espio. The only question is, what? What did you say?"

"I did just about the dumbest thing I could possible do, Knuckles. I told him I liked him and he didn't take it all too well."

"How could he have possibly reacted? He's Espio."

"He didn't really do anything. He said he was going to think about it and was going to let me know if he comes up with anything. Even something so simple hit me hard."

Knuckles tried to think up something that he could say. He isn't exactly the romantic either. "Well you're looking at it kind of wrong, Sonic. When he said that he'll think about it, it gives you a window of opportunity that he might actually like you. He just needs to juggle the idea in his mind."

"I know, but I'm just paranoid that no matter what, he'll never like me."

"Don't worry, buddy. Everything will be-"

Knuckles was then interrupted by a few knocks at the door and someone, a woman, shouting out the words "Mail Call". Knuckles thought he recognized the voice and he went to open the door. "Who says 'Mail Call' anymore?" Knuckles opened the door to find that Rouge was standing there.

"Knuckies! My, hasn't it been awhile since I got to see a cutie like you." Knuckles was infuriated, Rouge was enjoying it.

"Grrr… how does a person like you get a job like this anyways," Knuckles shouts.

"Take it easy, Knuckles. It's just a second job to get a little extra cash. Do you want your mail or not?"

She waved a letter in front of Knuckles' head and he snatched it from her.

"Jeez. You are quite the touchy one today. Hmph." Rouge then flew off to continue sending the mail. Knuckles closed the door.

Knuckles thought to himself, "We never get mail." Knuckles turned the letter over to notice that Sonic's name and address was poorly scribbled onto it. Whoever did it clearly had poor penmanship.

"Hey Sonic, you got yourself a letter. Come and get it." Sonic came running down the stairs and retrieved the letter from Knuckles.

"Who's it from?"

"Let me open it first. But judging by the writer, I don't think I want to know." Sonic slowly cut open the top of the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper aside and decided that he would read it aloud to Knuckles.

Dear Sonic,

I would like to go to the shopping center in the city tomorrow and I was wondering if you would like to join me. We can go shopping, eat lunch at the food court, and get to know each other better. If you don't want to come, I understand, but if you do, I'll be waiting for you at the front of the mall at around 10:00 tomorrow morning.

~ Espio

"This doesn't look right."

"You're right, Sonic. There's no way that Espio would actually enjoy going to a mall. Especially with you."

Sonic glared at Knuckles. "That's not what I meant. I've seen Espio's writing; it's nice and clean. This writing is really messy. I wonder if Vector or Charmy have anything to do with it."

"What if isn't, though?"

"Then I should go, shouldn't I?"

"Take plenty of video and a bunch of pictures. I want to know EVERY detail of this date."

"Shut up Knuckles, no one asked you!"

Knuckles smiled and started to laugh.

"I swear, Knuckles, the fact that I live you is such a shock. You're more annoying than anyone I know."

Knuckles kept laughing until they heard a knock at the door and a familiar voice say Sonic's name. Since Knuckles knew who was going to come in to torture Sonic, Knuckles fell to the ground laughing his heart out. This is because the voice belonged to Amy Rose.

"Let me rephrase that. You're more annoying that anyone I know except Amy."

Sonic went to answer the door to find Amy trying to hold on to a really cute pose to impress Sonic. It didn't.

"Sonic, I haven't seen you in a few days and all I could think about is how much I missed you."

"I wish I could say the same for you, Amy," Sonic said in a dull, vivid voice.

"Really? Then maybe we can come out of our misery and go have a fun-filled day with each other."

"I'm sorry, but are you a purple chameleon?"

"What, no. I'm Amy Rose, a pretty pink hedgehog."

"Then leave my home."

With that, Sonic closed the door in Amy's speechless face. She just walked home without a word to say. Sonic turned back to Knuckles with a very straight face and Knuckles then continued his laughter.

"Sonic… you're killing me. Are you a purple chameleon?… Genius!"

Sonic smacked his face. "I hate you, Knuckles."

Knuckles laughed, "Ahh, I love you too, Sonic."

Sonic retreated to his bedroom and thought about how tomorrow will turn out. It was almost like the day before the picnic all over again.


	4. Chapter 4

New Style

SonEspio

Chapter 4

Sonic dreamt of Espio the whole night, but Sonic didn't let those dreams fool him in any way. He wanted to wait to see if his 'date' with Espio would live up to those dreams. The next morning, Sonic woke up later than normal at 8:15 in the morning. 'Great,' he thought, 'that means less suffering for me when I have to wait to go to the mall.' Sonic walked downstairs to find that no one was down there. On the table, Sonic noticed that there was a note addressed to him:

Sonic, Knuckles asked me to fly him over to Angel Island so that he can supervise the Master Emerald. I'll be back as soon as I can. By the way, Amy called three times and said that you said something really strange to her. I didn't want to wake you when she called, but I think you should call her back.

Tails

Sonic placed the note back onto the table. "There's no way I'm calling her back, especially on a day like this," Sonic said to himself. Sonic then went further into the kitchen to make himself some toast and also got himself a nutrition bar. The bar was for Knuckles to try to see if he could gain more muscle, but Sonic liked how it tasted. As his toast finished, he sat down and began to eat his toast.

At the Team Chaotix home, Espio was doing a similar thing. A couple nights before, Vector and Charmy showed Espio the letter and he was in fully agreed with their plan. The only problem was that he was now dreading that he was going to be with Sonic and only Sonic for a few hours. He feared that it would be awkward and it would just separate their friendship even more. With a bit of breakfast in him he was then able to relax a little bit more. A minute later, Vector came yawning out of his bedroom and stepped into the kitchen to catch Espio as he was cleaning off his plate.

"You ready for today?"

"No, I'm afraid for what may happen. What are we going to do at the mall?"

"You're thinking too hard on this Espio. All you're going to do is have some lunch, get to know each other, and do a bit of shopping. I'm sure you'll have a blast."

"I don't even have any Earth money, so how would I go about shopping?"

Vector threw some dollar bills onto the counter next to Espio. Espio gave it a hard stare.

"Where did you come across money like that?"

"Charmy and I went on a secret detective mission last week while you were helping Cream and Cheese. I would've told you about it, but I didn't want to worry your sweet little heart."

Espio got a little upset by the remark. "I only did that because you and Charmy were being immature to Vanilla and the biggest way to make her happy is to make her daughter happy. You should be thanking me."

"I am. Didn't I just give you a bunch of cash and support for your 'date' with Sonic."

"Oh. I didn't think of it that way. I apologize."

Espio picked up the bills and counted them. Forty-five dollars in total. Espio's confidence grew slightly. He looked towards the clock to see that he had about 45 minutes until he had to be at the mall. He went into his room and continued to get himself ready. He also prepared some things that he might say to Sonic to start a conversation. Luckily, he wouldn't need any of that.

45 minutes later, Sonic started casually walking towards the entrance of the mall. He was hoping that he didn't beat Espio there, because he didn't want to seem presumptuous. He was then lucky to find Espio standing casually in front of the entrance. Their eyes met and they both smiled at the other's presence. As Sonic approached, Espio grew a little uncomfortable. Sonic was too.

"I'm glad to see that you're here, Sonic."

"I'm glad that you invited me, Espio."

"What shall we do?"

"Well, it is a shopping mall. Why don't we walk around and find what stores we like?"

"Sounds like a good plan."

Espio opened the door for Sonic and they entered the mall. They walked around the mall trying to find stores that they liked, but they didn't seem to stop at any.

"None of these stores seem interesting to me," Espio finally admitted.

"We're just not used to shopping is all. Why don't we try one of these clothing shops? Like this one."

Sonic pointed to a fairly large shop named 'Karry's'. Espio didn't seem against it so they entered the shop. They looked around the shop to search out clothes that they might like, but the same problem was arising. Sonic seemed somewhat interested in the clothes, but Espio was skipping rows of clothing without even a second glance. They then ran into each other again at the other side.

"Did you find anything, Espio?"

"No. I didn't even think we would really be buying anything in a place like this. It's not like we wear any clothing anyways."

"You'd really have to think about it, Espio. If you go to the young children section, you can find clothing that'll fit you and even though you don't wear clothing, it's fun to look for things you might look good in."

"Really? Did you find anything?"

Sonic showed Espio a small, dark-blue shirt and simple denim jeans.

"I'm actually just about to try them on in the dressing room. You can come and check out how I look when I'm done."

Espio smiled at Sonic's enthusiasm. "Alright, let's go."

Sonic led Espio to a section of the store that had several booths. Sonic went inside one of them and spent the next minute or two putting on the clothing. When he stepped out, Espio was amazingly shocked at how good Sonic looked. While in there, Sonic took off his gloves and he was wearing his, shirt, pants, and shoes.

"What do you think, Espio?"

Espio smiled brightly. "I must say, you look handsome." Sonic muzzle turned a mild pink. "I think I understand what you mean by how clothing can make you look."

"Yeah, I'm going to look some more. You should, too."

They went with each other to the children's section. They each found a section that they might like. They generally stuck with the colors of their skin, but the clothing enhanced their looks anyways. After searching for a good fifteen minutes, Espio asked Sonic if he would go to the dressing area with him. Sonic really wanted to see how Espio would look and they went back to the booths.

Espio entered his booth and a minute later, he exited with a new outfit. Along with his normal shoes and gloves, Espio had on a black shirt, black shorts with a purple design on it, and a purple jacket buttoned halfway. As he exited, he kept tugging at his shorts.

"These shorts aren't quite agreeing with my tail."

Sonic was smiling extremely brightly at Espio's appearance. Not only did he think it was cute how Espio's escaped the bottom of his shorts, but he thought that Espio had a clear sense in fashion. "You look really good, Espio. Like, really good. You should buy that outfit, it would be nice to see you in it from time to time."

Now it was Espio's turn to blush a little. Clearly the discomfort that they had at the beginning was slowly fading away. With his head tilting slightly down, he said, "Thanks Sonikku, that really means a lot to me." Sonic didn't catch the 'Sonikku' nickname, and Espio didn't even realize that he had said it. Espio got un-dressed out of the clothing and Sonic led him to a counter where they can purchase their clothes.

When they got to the front of the line, Sonic and Espio placed their clothes onto the counter. The cashier got excited at their presence. "Oh my goodness, you're Sonic, aren't you?" Sonic got a little excited. "Yeah, I am."

"Oh, then this clothing is on the house."

"Even for my friend, Espio?"

"Of course! Every good friend of Sonic's is always special to me."

The man then scanned the tags and then he sent them on their way.

"You sure are well-known, Sonic. I wish I could get people's attention like that."

Sonic smirked at Espio's remark and turned to stop him. "You got my attention, didn't you?"

Both Espio and Sonic blushed and Espio smiled. "I guess you're right. Want to go get something to eat?"

"Of course, I'm starving."

They went to the food bar at the center of the mall and looked around at all of the food stalls. To Sonic's dismay, there were no chilidogs to be found. Espio then led Sonic to a Chinese food stall.

"I tried the food here, and I was very pleased with the cooking. I would suggest the orange chicken."

"Alright."

Sonic ordered two meals with orange chicken and Sonic paid for both Espio's and his own meal. They then stepped to the side as they waited for the meal to be prepared.

"Why do you keep paying for all of my things," Espio asked.

"I'm just trying to be nice. Why, am I doing something wrong?"

"No, of course not. I'd just like to do something nice for you for a change."

"You did. You invited me to come with you here."

Espio blushed. "That's because I would much rather roam this mall with you than anyone else."

Sonic blushed and put his hand behind his head in embarrassment. "You're so sweet, Espio."

They grabbed their food and went to find a table and sat down. Sonic began to quickly gulp down his food while Espio was proper and slowly dipped his plastic spork and then placed it into his mouth. Sonic then started thinking that his antics might not be charming to Espio, so he mimicked his movements. Espio noticed this and stopped eating.

"You don't have to change the way you are just to impress me, Sonic."

Sonic was caught completely off-guard. He put down his spork and looked slightly down to the table. "I know, but I don't want you getting this wrong impression of me. You keep saying that you want to be like me, but I want to be a little like you."

"I can understand changing yourself so that others will like you. But Sonic, it is whom you are that makes you special. I wouldn't want to change that for the world."

Sonic was then instantly mesmerized by Espio after what he had just said. 'Pure poetry,' Sonic thought. Now that Sonic really knows what Espio was like on the inside, he then realized why Espio was so special in his mind. Sonic leaned in and gave Espio a quick kiss on the cheek. He didn't care who saw, he felt it was truly necessary.

"Thank you Espio. I don't think anyone other than myself has been able to pick me up when I'm down other than you." Sonic continued to go back to the normal way he was eating to show that he was thankful to what Espio had suggested. Espio rubbed his cheek where Sonic had kissed and admired Sonic as he ate.


	5. Chapter 5

New Style

SonEspio

Chapter 5

Upon completing their shopping, Sonic and Espio went to the entrance where they met up earlier that day. Other than the clothes they bought at the beginning, Espio bought some new gloves and Sonic bought a hat that Espio said looked good on him. As they made their way to the entrance, they passed by a movie theater. Espio stopped to check it out. Sonic stopped to look at what was showing at the movie theater that night. Espio pointed to a film named "Only You".

"I read the newspaper and I remember reading a review of this movie. They said it was a good movie and it stood out particularly to me."

"You like romantic movies?"

Espio blushed in embarrassment. "It's pretty embarrassing that I would like romance movies. I assume that you only like the action movies."

"Of course not. To be honest, I actually like romance movies a lot too." Sonic paused. "You want to watch it."

"Now?"

"Sure, Espio. It's 6:00 and the next one comes on in ten minutes."

Espio smiled. "I would love to Sonic. Especially with you."

Sonic blushed as he pulled out a few bills. He gave the cashier twenty dollars and asked for two tickets for "Only You". She took the money, gave them the tickets, and they were on their way to their theater. They sat down and were getting ready to watch the previews before the movie started.

"There's actually a reason why I like romance movies so much," Espio said.

"Hm?"

"Vector and Charmy were pranking me about two months ago and I just wanted to get out of the house so that I wouldn't be bothered. I went to this mall and I walked around, but people wanted to talk to me because we were the new people in town still. People wanted to get to know me, but all I wanted was a bit of peace and quiet. I went to this movie theater and bought a ticket for a movie called 'Bond Never Broken'. I really just wanted to be in the dark room and rest, but then they played the movie. I couldn't keep my eyes off of it, and it was such an appealing movie. It was an amazing feeling."

"I like that feeling too. I merely like romance movies because deep down, I wanted what those characters in those movies had. I just didn't want people like Amy. I needed somebody special. I needed…"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. You're that special person."

They both looked away from each other. Their cheeks were beyond pink at this point. The movie previews lasted about ten minutes and then the real movie started. Throughout the movie, Sonic and Espio went through just about every emotion that any normal human being would go through during a romance movie: sadness, happiness, laughter, and there was, of course, tears. Lots and lots of tears. Every kissing scene (All 14 of them) was followed with applause with Sonic and Espio clapping the loudest. The end was the same, the man ending up with his one true love, but the reaction was the same as well. The movie ended with the entire audience giving it a standing ovation and a large amount of cheers and yells. Sonic and Espio looked at each other as they both smiled at the movie that they had just watched.

They left the movie theater as people continued to pile out as the credits rolled. Sonic led Espio out of theater and they were then back in the mall. They stood there and stared into each other's faces.

"That was a good movie, wasn't it," Sonic asked.

"It was as wonderful as the review I read of it. The story went exactly as I wanted it to also."

"I agree."

Sonic looked into Espio's eyes and they had a sparkle to them that Sonic couldn't look away from. 'Espio is special,' Sonic thought. Sonic gently grabbed the sides of Espio's neck and brought him in for a kiss. When their lips touched, the cool air of the mall immediately warmed. That was a moment that they can cherish for the rest of their lives. When they broke apart, they looked into each other's eyes, ignoring the crowd's cheers. They clearly like the romance that was going on between their favorite hero and Espio.

"Espio, do you like me," Sonic asked with a bright smile.

"Only you."

They shared another kiss that was just as heart-warming as the first. The cheers of the crowds only grew stronger every second they held that kiss. This was distracting to the two of them and they were then eager to get out of the mall. Sonic grabbed Espio and held him in his arms and ran a good distance away from the mall before stopping and putting Espio down. They walked the rest of the way home. When they arrived at the Team Chaotix home, Sonic said his good-byes.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight without you being there, Sonic."

"Neither will I. I guess we'll just have to try." Sonic paused. "Goodnight, Espio. Sweet dreams."

"My dreams will be sweet, indeed."

Sonic blushed. "Mine too."

Espio closed the door and Sonic began his journey back home. He picked up the pace and began running at high speeds back home. The cold wind against his face has never felt so good. In only a few minutes, Sonic was already at the doorway at his home. He opened the door and walked into the living room to find Tails and Knuckles there. They weren't doing anything, so they must've been waiting for Sonic to come home.

"Sonic, why are you hiding something from me," asked Tails.

"You're my brother, Tails. You deserve to know just about everything about me. But do you want to really know about this?"

"Yes. Of course I do."

"Alright. Espio and I went to the mall today. We bought some stuff, ate lunch, and actually went to watch "Only You" at the movie theater."

"Isn't that a romance movie?"

"Yeah. So we both talked about the movie after it was over and then… we shared a couple of kisses together."

Tails was thrown slightly back with that, but Knuckles continued to hold his smile intact.

"D'aw, Sonic. You and Espio are such cuties together." Knuckles was enjoying this a lot. He won't stop with the comments for another three weeks when he gets bored and decides to make fun of someone else.

"Shush, Knuckles. What are you saying, Sonic? What is with you and Espio?"

"I'm saying that Espio and I are boyfriends now."

Tails paused to think of what he would say.

"Well, if Espio is your lover Sonic, then I support you all the way. The only problem I have with it is that he is apart of that Team Chaotix, and they haven't been the biggest helps when it comes to us."

"That's why Espio is so special. He is so different from Vector and Charmy, which makes him stand out in Team Chaotix."

"Alright, whatever you say."

Tails went back to work and Knuckles went back into his room.

~ Team Chaotix Home ~

After Sonic dropped Espio off at home, like Knuckles and Tails, Vector and Charmy were waiting for Espio.

"You have to tell me every detail, hotshot," Vector was the first to say.

"You're not going to get any. I'm in a very good mood and in the past talking to you hasn't exactly kept it that way ever."

"Come on, Espio. We just want to know if you got all lovey-dovey with each other," remarked Charmy.

"Fine. We did what normal people do in the mall: look around, shop, and eat. That lasted quite a few hours. Then we passed the movie theater in the mall and we watched a movie."

"What movie?"

"None of your business."

Charmy was confused. "Huh. I've never heard of that movie."

Vector sighed. "That's because it's not a real movie, you dunce."

"Anyways, we watched the movie and we walked out and well…"

Vector and Charmy got really close to Espio's face. "Yes?"

"Sonic kissed me, and… I enjoyed it."

"Blech, that's disgusting, Espio. A guy kissing you."

"Don't listen to that brat. You're on your way, Espio. In fact, if you try really hard you might be even better at this romance business than I am.

Espio smirked. "Oh, me be better than you at romance? That will NEVER happen." Charmy laughed at the clear sense of sarcasm. Vector just smiled.

"Very funny, hotshot. I'm going to bed. You have sweet dreams. About Sonic."

Espio blushed. Fortunately, though, the two of them didn't notice.


	6. Chapter 6

New Style

SonEspio

Chapter 6

It was midnight and Sonic couldn't sleep. He thought that with the night that he just had, it would be perfectly easy to sleep. It wasn't, though. He kept thinking about Espio and how their possible future was going to turn out. He cursed at himself for not inviting Espio that night so that he can still be with him.

'No,' Sonic thought. 'I don't want to take this too fast. It would probably be too awkward.'

Sonic just tried to have the thoughts escape his mind and get some sleep. Fortunately, after some deep breathing, Sonic was able to get into a deep sleep for the next 7 hours. When he woke up that next morning at 7, he was relieved that he was able to sleep through the night. He got out of bed and went downstairs into the kitchen. Since it was early, no one was up and about yet, so Sonic was alone. Sonic had a quick breakfast and decided to leave the house without leaving a note. He had assumed that Tails and Knuckles would understand that he was going to Espio's house for a visit. Sonic ran across town and after about ten minutes, Sonic arrived at the door to Team Chaotix home. Sonic was afraid that he might be waking them up, but upon arrival, Sonic noticed that there was a note taped to the door.

_Sonic,_

_I'm sure you have come to our home to visit me, but we are not here at the moment. Very early in the morning, we got a call to do a mission for someone named Mr. Namgge, some French guy from outside of town. Vector was very quick to get us moving so that we can please this Mr. Namgge. Please excuse my absence. I would rather be with you than this dumb mission._

_Love you,_

_Espio._

Then there were some random doodles of Espio and Sonic kissing. Sonic assumed that the doodles were made by Charmy and just ignored them. Sonic took the note and started to walk back home, feeling defeated. Sonic had not realized the circumstance that sometimes Espio was going be on random missions from time to time. Sonic wouldn't even be there to protect Espio, should something bad happen and he should get hurt. Sonic juggled something in his mind as he walked slowly back home.

When he got back to his house, Sonic walked into the living room, Sonic saw Knuckles slouching on the couch watching TV. "Where have you been?"

"Going to Espio's house. Where else?"

"Isn't that a shock? Why back so soon then? I was beginning to enjoy the peace and quiet without you around."

"Well if you must know, Espio is out on a mission." Sonic paused. Knuckles didn't seem to care too much. He continued, "I'm worried if he's hurt. I kinda wish…" Sonic paused. Knuckles was curious now.

"You kind of wish what?"

"I kind of wish I was on Team Chaotix so that I can always be with him."

Knuckles was shocked. Tails, who was just entering the living room, was shocked as well. Tails didn't want to lose his best friend to a team that he didn't quite come to good terms with. Tails was quick to speak up.

"Are you crazy? Sonic, you make up this team. You can't just throw all of that way for some immature team."

Sonic sighed. "I know, but I care about Espio so much, and I just wish I knew what he was doing."

Sonic rested his hands on the couch and Knuckles noticed the paper that Sonic was holding.

"What is that?"

"This? This is the note Espio left me telling me that they had left on that mission."

Sonic handed the note to Knuckles and he read it briefly to himself. "What kind of name is Namgge?"

"Namgge," Tails repeated.

"Some French name I'm assuming. That's what Espio told me."

Tails walked over to Knuckles and took the note and read it to himself as well. At first, Tails didn't catch anything, but then he felt stupid for not catching it before.

"Those dunces! They've fallen into a trap! Namgge is not a real name. It's simply Eggman spelled backwards!"

Sonic snatched the letter back and looked over the name again. He felt stupid and threw the letter onto the couch.

"I have to go."

"I'll go with you. I can fly you on the X Tornado and try to find Eggman."

"As much as I don't care, I'll support you as well, Sonic."

Sonic looked at his friends and couldn't possibly say no. He simply smiled and nodded and they were soon on a mission of their own.

A mission to save Espio.

They prepared themselves for the worst. Tails powered up the X tornado and Sonic and Knuckles jumped on. After some preparations, Tails started the engines the engines and in a few seconds they were already at high speeds and up in the air. First, they had to find where Eggman was holding them. The last base that they knew of was destroyed about a month ago. They decided to fly to nearby areas to where the Chaotix home is. They don't have a form of transportation, so they wouldn't have been able to go far to get to their supposed mission. It didn't take long before Tails was able to spot the Egg Carrier off to the distance.

Tails tried to keep out of the sights of the Egg Carrier and slowly tried to get aboard the ship. With a burst of luck, he was actually able to land safely on the ship. The three of them stepped off, but it wasn't long until a robot spotted them and set off the alarm. They knew that they were going to be spotted, but not this quickly. Tails acted fast and ran inside one of the doors. Before entering with Tails, Knuckles destroyed the robot that had set off the alarm.

When they entered, they quickly ran down the stairs to the center of the ship. They took a look around the center of the ship; Tails seemed frustrated. "How are we going to find them in this mess? This ship is huge!"

A voice then boomed into the room. "Why don't I make it easier for you." Then Eggman showed up on a small platform that was far above their heads. In his hands was Espio, who was struggling really hard to get out of his grasp. Sonic was in slight shock at the image.

"Your friend Espio couldn't stop talking about you, Sonic. Good thing you're here, Sonic. He'll have a lot to talk about after I destroy you and all of your friends."

Espio continued to squirm but was having no luck in getting out of Eggman's grasp. "Don't listen to him Sonic. Save yourself, I can find my own way out of here."

Sonic gritted his teeth. "No, Espio. I have come to save you, and I am not leaving until you are back on the ground safe and sound."

A small tear formed in Espio's left eye. The first tear he has ever shed in a really long time. Eggman grunted.

"That is really touching, Sonic. But sadly, one of you here is going to die and I would much rather it be you. But if you continue to be stubborn, I will kill the chameleon."

"I won't succumb to your games, let him go or else."

Eggman responded to Sonic's threat by squeezing Espio's throat, constricting his air passages. Sonic's legs became weak as he saw Espio desperately gasping for air. Sonic didn't like submitting to Eggman, but he had no choice.

"Stop," Sonic yelled, a tear forming in his eyes. Sonic fell to his knees and put his hands together above his head. Eggman loosened his grip on Espio and began to laugh softly and deviously. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll even die for him. Just don't hurt Espio." Eggman's laugh got louder as he saw his largest enemy submit to him. He was glad that he had finally found a way to make Sonic soft. He messed with some buttons, and the platform that Eggman was standing on began to slowly descend towards Sonic.

Sonic turned around to Tails and Knuckles. Tails, and even Knuckles, had tears in their eyes because they figured that they might have to say their final goodbyes to one of their best friends. "Tails, buddy. I need you to take Knuckles and get out of here."

"What?"

"Don't argue with me, Tails. Just a waste of breath."

Tails was thrown into an emotional fit and couldn't believe what was happening. He was just imagining how fast this has all happened. It had just started with a date with Espio, then a letter that he had just deciphered that morning. Now, he was saying goodbye to his best friend.

"I should've never deciphered that letter for you this morning, Sonic. It would be sad that Espio would be gone, but at least you would be here." To run away from the pain, Tails took Knuckles hand and flew as fast as he could to the area where he entered. Everyone except Eggman was sorrowful, and had burst into tears.

Now, Eggman was just inches from Sonic. Espio was lost for words, but he knew this was it. He only was with Sonic for one date and now Eggman was going to ruin everything. Eggman then reached for Sonic, but before he can make contact with him, something unsuspected happened. A random jet of fire came towards Eggman and burned him badly on the back. As soon as the pain shot through Eggman's spine, he quickly released his grip on Espio and he fell to the ground. He ran to Sonic's side, and they ran out of the way so they wouldn't get hurt anymore. Eggman turned around in rage and pain and noticed that his attacker was none other than Vector the Crocodile.

"We might've been gullible enough to fall for you trap, but now I think it's time for a little trap of our own." Vector smiled deviously and took a couple steps back. Charmy who was flying a couple yards above Eggman dropped a large, heavy net down. Before Eggman could react, he was crushed and ensnared by the net.

"Thank goodness that's over. That net was really heavy!"

"Stop complaining, you little brat. You saved the day, so at least take the recognition!"

Eggman was furious. "How can you be so casual about this situation? I was just about to kill Sonic and all you guys can do is laugh!"

Sonic and Espio walked hand-in-hand towards Eggman. Sonic smiled as Eggman squirmed to try to free himself from the net. "Yes, but it is entertaining to watch you try to free yourself, though. Looks like your egg is fried today."

Espio jumped in as well. "Yeah! We're going to need a really big frying pan to clean up this mess, am I right?" Everyone went silent.

"Just leave the jokes and insults to me, Espy." Sonic kissed him on the cheek and Espio's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Ah, isn't that sweet. Now, what are you going to do with me?"

Vector smirked. "That's for you to decide, because we're going to leave you here."

"What," Eggman exclaimed.

Everyone laughed as they began to exit the Egg Carrier. When they made it out to the deck, they noticed that the X Tornado was still where they had left it. Knuckles was leaning against the exterior.

"Where's Tails," Sonic asked.

"He saw the entire action that went on in there and decided to go to the control room and shut down the engines. There he is now."

Tails came running up and was relieved to see that all of them were fine. "I've set the engines to shut off in a few minutes, so we need to get off right now."

Sonic took one look at the X Tornado and then back at Tails. "Tails. There is no way that the X Tornado can carry all six of us."

Tails then went wide-eyed. "I forgot! We need to figure out a way to get everyone back onto the land. The X Tornado can only hold a total of three people."

Sonic thought hard about the situation and then came up with an idea. "Tails, can the X Tornado function fine without a chaos emerald?"

"Well, yes, but it isn't nearly as fast."

"Well we're not being chased by anyone. Anyhow, I need a chaos emerald and maybe I can use chaos control to get me and two other people onto the ground."

Tails thought about it and decided not to argue. He went into the cockpit and hit a couple of buttons. A compartment then opened up, revealing a chaos emerald. Tails picked it up and threw it down towards Sonic.

"I'll take Knuckles and Espio, you can take Vector and Charmy."

Tails nodded and Vector and Charmy climbed aboard. Tails started up the engines and quickly flew off.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Espio turned to look at each other. "You two ready?" Knuckles and Espio nodded.

"Alright! Chaos Control!" A yellow light began to surround the three of them and they disappeared in a large bright flash. One second they were on the Egg Carrier, the next they were in Sonic's living room. Sonic and Espio smiled at the familiar sights of the living room and were glad that they were now both alive. Knuckles crossed his arms. "That was a boring mission. I only got to destroy one robot." They smirked at Knuckles' remark as he walked into his room. Espio and Sonic turned towards each other, holding each other's hands.

"I think I'm going to head on home now. I've had a long day." Espio was beginning to let go of Sonic's hands and go, but Sonic reached out and grabbed his hand again. Espio was confused and turned around.

"I'm not going to let you leave this time. I want to spend every minute with you Espio. At least stay the night with me."

Espio smiled. "Of course Sonikku."

They shared another kiss.


	7. Chaper 7 and Epilogue

New Style

SonEspio

Chapter 7

Sleeping was a lot more comfortable for Sonic. Later that night, Sonic was able to sleep in the same bed as Espio. He liked the heat that Espio's body provides for him on that cold night. After a final goodnight, Sonic was off to sleep. It was a slightly different story for Espio.

As soon as Espio dozed off into his sub-conscious, everything went wrong for him. He was back on the Egg Carrier, experiencing the same scene when Sonic was submitting himself to Eggman. The one big difference to this story was that Vector and Charmy wasn't there to save the day, leaving Eggman to have his way with Sonic. After Eggman releases Espio, Espio runs to Sonic's side, telling him not to go through with it. Eggman smacked him aside; Sonic wasn't going to listen to a word. A few yards from the two, Espio got to witness the most gruesome act that he has ever seen in his life.

Eggman reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, slender knife. Espio was shocked and confused at the same time. Using a knife wasn't exactly Eggman's style. Espio wanted to help, but he knew that he would be just tossed aside again. He just had to sit and wait for the end to occur. Eggman took the knife and placed it on Sonic's throat. He pulled it clean across in one fast swipe.

Espio woke up suddenly from his nightmare. He was breathing heavily and was now relieved to see that he was in Sonic's room in the same bed as Sonic. Espio got up from the bed without waking up Sonic, and exited the room. He went into the kitchen, tears flowing down his face. He didn't want to leave the house, but he couldn't stay in the same room as Sonic because he was afraid the nightmares would return. He just wanted to think.

He sat there for what felt like a few hours, but it turned out to only be a few minutes. In those few minutes, Sonic was quick to notice that the heat of Espio's body was no longer presence. He, too, got up from his bed and went downstairs quietly so he wouldn't wake anybody up. When he entered the kitchen, he gasped silently at Espio's condition. He pulled out a chair and sat next to him.

"Espio, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Sonic. It's too frightening."

Sonic blinked. "You can tell me anything, Espio. I can't to see you cry."

"Me neither. These are the most tears I have ever shed. It's embarrassing."

"Don't be embarrassed. You probably just had some kind of nightmare."

"It was more than a nightmare."

"Want to talk about it?"

"There's not much to talk about." Sonic continued to insist. "We were back on the Egg Carrier, back to the scene where you were giving yourself up to Eggman. Except, we weren't saved. He took a knife and… slit your throat." Tears flowed down Espio's face faster as he remembered the gruesome sight.

Sonic gave Espio a hug; tears were flowing down his face too.

"Sonic, why are you crying?"

"I don't want you having nightmares of me. It makes me think you're just going to leave."

Espio broke the hug and looked into Sonic's glassy eyes. "I will never leave you. Not because of some nightmare."

They both smiled. The tears were beginning to stop coming.

"I just wished that that stupid mission never happened. I had warned Vector and Charmy, but they wouldn't listen to me. This whole Team Chaotix thing has brought more chaos than order."

Sonic stroked Espio's back. "It's funny, I was actually considering joining Team Chaotix."

Espio looked deeply into Sonic's eyes. "You can't do that. I can't even stand them. Their tactics are so foolish, and they act so immature. I just wish that I can quit."

Sonic considered what he would say next. After coming up with something, he said, "Then quit. There's nothing stopping you."

"It's not that easy. They're my only source of income, and they provide me with a home. Where would I go if I quit?"

Sonic tilted his head slightly and looked solemnly in Espio's eyes. "You can live with me, Espio. You told me you will never leave me, so why don't you stay?"

Espio gasped a little. "Really? Would that be an issue?"

"I'm sure it would take some time for Tails and Knuckles time to get used to the idea, but they'll come around." Sonic placed his hand. They both enjoyed the warmth. "I want you to be with me forever, do you want to be with me forever?"

Espio shared Sonic's solemn stare. "Only you."

They shared a kiss that lasted longer than the other ones. It was as if they were removed from Mobius for a minute and were placed back on it when they separated.

"Why don't we go back to bed," Sonic suggested.

"Our bed."

They walked up together as an official couple for the rest of their lives.

Epilogue

The following day, Espio had a one-on-one chat with Vector and expressed his resignation from Team Chaotix. Vector was quite shocked, but was still accepting of Espio's wishes.

Two months later, Sonic proposed to Espio and they were married three months after that. Even though Sonic stayed apart of the Sonic Heroes, he ended up moving out of the Sonic Heroes home and moved into a new home with Espio.

Espio and Sonic then considered what they would do about having a child. They surprisingly were really keen on the idea, but they knew that it was impossible to have a kid. Knuckles wanted to repay Sonic for being arrogant to him in the past. He suggested that the Master Emerald would be able to give Sonic the ability to bear a child. One shiny day on Angel Island, Knuckles enhanced the power of the Master Emerald through his magical chants. The Master Emerald then lent Sonic some of its power, and the process was soon finished. After two months, Sonic could see his belly increasing in size and he could feel the baby inside of him. Seven months after that, Sonic bore a purple hedgehog boy. Sonic and Espio named him Vector, after Espio's previous boss, of course.

As the hedgehog grew up, Espio trained him in the ways of the ninja. At the age of 6, Vector Hedgehog joined Team Chaotix, which was then being run by Charmy (age 20). Vector and Vanilla's child, Chester, a bunny that much resembled Cream, joined the Team Chaotix the next year at age 7.

In the next 5 years, Sonic bore a pink girl hedgehog, Krystal, and a blue boy chameleon, Kail.

The family of five lived happily together, until the three children grew older and had children of their own. Sonic and Espio both shared 6 grandchildren until the very end.

End.


End file.
